Box-lifter-rod connection



1931. w. E. LUNDGREN 1,793,183

' BOX LIFTER ROD CONNECTION Filed Oct. 4, 1929 ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 17, 1931 vum'rr-zo STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM E. LUNDGREN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, M'ASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS BOX-LIFTER-ROD CONNECTION Application filed October 4, 1929. Serial No. 397,352.

This invention relates'to improvements in box lifter. rod connections for fancy looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a quickly detachable connection between the box lifting lever and a lifter rodwhich is connected to the shifting boxes.

The usual fancy loom employs a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes which ordinarily .rise vertically so as to bring into active potle will not be properly boxed, andunder' these oonditions'as the boxes try to move downwardly the shuttle will engage the lay and cause breakage unless the connections yield. It is an important object of my present invention to provide a very simple form of clamping connection or force transmitter between the box rod and the lever, formed preferably of wire, which ordinarily is'resilient enough to transmit theaforesaid force, but which will spring when excess resistance is offeredto the movement of the boxes.

'It is also desirable to lift the'boxes out of the loom for slight adjustments or repairs and under these conditions the connection between the box lifter rod and its operating parts should be quickly detachable. It is a further object of my present invention to provide an inherently resilient clamp to transmit the lifting force to the rod so formed as to be moved to unclamping position without the use of tools but by a simple squeezing operation on the part of the operator.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, .my invention resides in the combination'and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth,

Fig. l is a side elevation of parts of the box motion and lay having my invention applied thereto,

. F 1g. 2 1s a front elevationof certain parts shown in 1 looking in the direction of,

arrow 2, of said figure,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation taken in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 1, showing the parts in normal driving position,

Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal section on line 4+4 of Fig. 3,

5 is an enlarged vertical section on line 5 5 of Fig. a showing the parts in normal position, and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but with the parts shown in yielding position.

' Referring to the drawings, I have shown a loomv frame 10 and lay 11 having mounted therein for vertical movement a gang of shuttle boxes 12. Depending from the boxes is'a lifter rod 13 which passes through a guide 14: on the rocker foot 15 of the lay. A box lever 16 may be acted upon by mechanism not shown to move the forward or left hand end thereof to any one of a plurality of vertical positions, depending upon the control exercised by the pattern chain not shown. The stud 17 in the forward end of said lever is connected to a depending link 18 through which extends a journal 19 formed on a block .20. The latter is provided with a bore 21 ter thus far described is of common construction except so far as the block 20 en- 'ters into cooperating relationship with other parts to be described.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide the block with upper and lower surfaces 30 and 31, respectively, and provide the rod 13 with upper and lower grooves 32 and 33, respectively. The grooves are preferably concave and may have rounded edges 34, one being located above and the other below the block 20.

. Each groove cooperates with a force transmitting member the ofiice of which is to transfer the motion from the block 20 to the lifter rod 13, either to raise or lower the latter. Each transmitter is formed preferably of spring steel wire and may have a pair of opposite curved portions 36 adapted to enter the grooves cut in the lifter rod. As shown in F a each wire is extended to the right as at 3'? and has the end thereof curved inward- 1y as at 38, and it will be noted that the ends are crossed. If the wire be of substantial cross section it is desirable to render the same flexible by providing a loop 39 which may extend to the left of the lifter rod 13, as shown in Fig. i. The normal form of the transmitter member is such that the distance between the curved portions 36 will be less than the diameter of the bottom of the grooves in the lifter rods.

In assembling, one of the transmitter members will be slipped over the bottom of the rod and moved upwardly past the groove 33 and into the groove 32, this operation being facilitated by squeezing the two ends 38 together in the hand of the assembler. The block 20 is then moved upwardly on the rod until it engages the transmitter in groove 32, after which the lower transmitter is placed in groove 33. The block 20 is then tightly clamped between the two transmitters, the parts being so proportioned that longitudinal movement of the block along the rod is prevented.

If, as previously stated, a shuttle should become engaged with the lay as the boxes attempt to move downwardly the transmitter in the groove 33 will spring due to its own resilience, expanding so that the curved portions 36 will slip out of the groove 33 and slide down along the lower end of the rod 13. In this way downward motion of the box lifter lever 16 is permitted without subjecting the shuttle or parts carried by the rod to undue strain. If for any reason upward movement of the box should be resisted the transmitter in the groove 32 will yield in a similar manner.

It will be understood furthermore that if it is desired to lift the boxes out of the loom for repairs the ends of the transmitters may he clamped together so that the rod may be moved upwardly. I

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple form of power transmitting device between the box lifter mechanism and the box rod, said device comprising a member which is inherently resilient and having two spaced parts which lie in grooves in the box lifter'rod, said parts being capable of separation when undue resistance is offered to the longitudinalrod 13. Furthermore, it will be seen that the ends of said transmitter when formed of wire can be shaped so that the hand of the operator can expand the'parts whiehlie in thegroove.

Also, when the normal force to be transmitted is considerable, thereby necessitating the use of a spring wire of substantial proportions, the deformed portion 39 may be employed to permit easier separation of the connected aortions when the boxes are to be removed for repair.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a box loom having a set of shifting boxes with a box lifter rod and a box lever to actuate the rod and boxes, an element capable of sliding on the rod and operatively connected to the lever, said rod having a peripheral groove therein, and an inherently resilient pressure, transmitter comprising an entirely separate device mounted on and supported by said rod and normally seated in said groove and engaging the element to communicate force'from the latter to the rod, said transmitter yielding under abnormal strain to permit movement of the element independently of and along the rod.

2. In a box loom having a set of shifting boxes with a box lifter rod and a box lever to actuate the rod and boxes, an element capable of sliding on the rod and operatively connected to the lever, said rod having a peripheral groove therein, and an inherently resilient pressure transmitter normally located in the groove and engaging the element to communicate force from the latter to the rod, said transmitter yielding under abnormal strain to permit movement of the element independently of and along the rod, said pressure transmitter comprising a single piece of wire having a portion to lie in the groove and having the ends thereof extended away from the groove, whereby said wire may be expanded to move out of the groove, said transmitter being held to the rod by its own resilience independently of the element.

3. In a box loom having a set of shifting boxes with. a box lifter rod and a box lever to actuate the rod and boxes, an element capab'le of sliding on the rod and operatively connected to the lever, said rod having 21; peripheral groove therein, and an inherently resilient pressure transmitter normally located in the groove to communicate force from the element to the rod, said transmitter yielding under abnormal strain to permit movement of the element independently of and along the rod, said transmitter comprising a single piece of wire having a portion to lie in the groove and held therein by its own resilience and having the ends thereof crossed and e'xtendedaway from the groove, whereby said wire may be expanded toin'ove out o'f thegro'ov'e.

4:. In a box loom having a set of shifting boxes with a box lifter rod and a box lever to actuate the rod and boxes, an element capable of sliding on the rod and operatively connected to the lever, the rod having spaced peripheral grooves formed therein, one above and the other below the element, and an inherently resilient transmitter held to the lifter rod independently of the element, being snapped into each groove and held therein by its own resilience, the transmitters capable of transmitting force from the element to the rod, and yielding under abnormal strain to permit movement of the element independently of and along the rod.

5. In a box loom having a set of shifting boxes with a box lifter rod and a box lever to actuate the rod and boxes, an element capable of sliding on the rod and operatively connected to the lever, the rod having spaced peripheral grooves formed therein, one above and the other below the element, and an inherently resilient transmitter snapped into each groove, the transmitters capable of transmitting force from the element to the rod,

and yielding under abnormal strain to permit movement of the element independently of and along the rod, each transmitter being formed of a piece of wire having extended ends which are accessible for the purpose of expanding the transmitter, whereby the element may be moved manually along and in contact with the rod.

6. In a box loom having a set of shifting boxes with a box lifter rod and a box lever to actuate the rod and boxes, an element capable of sliding on the rod and operatively connected to the lever, the rod having spaced peripheral grooves formed therein, one above and the other below the element, and an inherently resilient transmitter snapped into each groove, the transmitters capable of transmitting force from the element to the rod, each transmitter being formed of a piece r of wire having extended crossed ends which are accessible for the purpose of expanding the transmitter, to move the same out of the corresponding groove, whereby the element may be moved along and in contact with the r rod.

00 In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

WILLIAM E. LUNDGREN. 

